The United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth

The United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth

Except,..

We all want to believe this, there can't be any dissenting opinions on this, except the facts don't bear this out anymore. And sure, the country is inundated with people from other countries wanting to come here, legally and not so legally, because the opportunities abound for any person living here. Anyone can achieve greatness, just look toward people like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Michael Jordan, Bill Cosby, Oprah, Joel Osteen, Bernie Manoff, and the list goes on and on. Some, great people, others, well, not so nice. But from humble beginnings anyone can get there, here in America. 

America is ripe with opportunities to make wealth. America is the world leader in technology, manufacturing, mining, agriculture, food production and gambling. Yeah that last one is scary. But then the rest of those in the list aren't true anymore. But Americans have the highest standard of living of any nation on Earth. Well, that isn't true anymore either, Forbes says we are number 6 (Forbes) and elsewhere we are number 4 (Map of world). Still, people from all over the world come here for the opportunities, and the promises.

The great thing about living in an industrialized country is that we the citizens and residents of this great country are afforded the long life and good health expected in a country that is w world leader. Well, except that isn't true either. Today, living in America means that your life expectancy is only seventeenth when compared to all other countries. And just starting out is a bit of a problem as America has the thirty-fourth place for infant mortality. Americans spend a higher percentage of GNP on healthcare than any other country. And society as a whole is failing in the pursuit of a healthy long lived life for its citizens. All of this stuff is not just fiction on my part, it comes from a report that anyone can read that was produced by the government of the United States. (Report) Just for fun, here is an excerpt from the conclusion and it can be found on page 318 of the report.

"That the health of Americans does not meet the standard that now exists in other rich nations is a tragedy for all age groups, but especially for children. Behind the statistics detailed in this report are the faces of dying people - infants, children, and adolescents - who are unwell and dying early because conditions in this country are not as favorable as those in other countries. Overall, young Americans are entering adulthood in poorer health than their counterparts in other countries and therefore face a future with greater risks of disease ...  This alone is reason enough for concern, but the nation's leaders - in government and business - also understand what the nation can expect from a future generation of workers, executives and military recruits whose illnesses and socioeconomic disadvantages compromise their productivity and require more intensive health care..."

 Why? That's not part of the report, those guys weren't paid to come to any conclusions as to why. Pretty much the answer is there, we just have to look away from the American paradigm of existence we have come to accept as given to us by those in power. Not necessarily the government, but the true leaders of our economy, the corporate movers and shakers.

It all begins with us, the citizens. We still have the power. We vote for governmental leaders that blatantly break the laws, accept corporate money and vote for bills that favor business and never for the citizens. Do a little research in November, don't vote for politicians that put corporate needs above those of the people. Corporate food manufacturers make money by using chemical additives in the mainstream foods presented to us as healthy and nutritious. They generally are not. Many even make the same food products for export to other countries that don't have the same additives that are allowed in America. Read the labels, if you can't pronounce the ingredients it's a safe bet it will harm you in the long run. No, it won't kill you today, but long term health in America is declining, THIS is one of the causes. Fast food, meats raised in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) is a nightmare of chemicals and bacterial contamination, soda is poison, and the list goes on and on. Look at some of the other entries here, there are many many specific articles about how American food is bad for us. 

We all have the ability to live better lives and make this country number one again, for ALL categories of life, we just have to do it. Learn who you are voting for, don't purchase food with toxic additives, never buy fast food and buy local, put you money in the basic trade of America, small producers, they are the ones that built this country, they can save it as well. Well, with your help.